Treaty. Betrayal. Uprising. Retribution.

This morning we were all up early so that we could be in St. Peter, north of Mankato, Minnesota to meet Geo's friend, Paul, at a museum. The Fairview Inn provided a sumptuous continental breakfast, and we were soon on the road under a slightly cloudy sky and pleasantly cool temperature. The museum we visited, The Treaty Site History Center at Traverse des Sioux, is fairly new and is mostly about the treaty signed by the US with the Dakota, which basically sealed the fate of the Dakota. The terms were very disadvantageous to the Dakota, but even so the terms weren't followed - the Indians weren't paid what had been agreed, and the land they had been promised was later taken. We wandered around the museum for awhile, then went outside to walk a short trail to the Missouri River, where there was a shallow ford - a traverse - that was a traditional meeting place for tribes and where the treaty was signed.

Dan and Spitz on the trail to the Missouri River

Geo at the ford

We left the museum and had lunch at a nearby restaurant, Whiskey River, where Geo had eaten in the past, and then went back to Mankato to visit Reconciliation Park on the site where 38 Indians were hanged for participating in the Dakota Uprising during the Civil War. Originally, over 300 were sentenced to be hanged, but President Lincoln reduced the number to 38 - the largest mass hanging in the nation's history. Following the uprising, the remaining  Dakota were shipped south and then west on a barge to their new homes in South Dakota and Nebraska, where they had a very difficult life with poor land for farming or hunting, and harsh conditions. The names of those who were hanged are listed on a monument, and on the  other side is a prayer to forgiveness by the poet Katherine Hughes. I found the monument and the small park to be surprisingly moving. There's also a statue of a white buffalo, which created a photo-op for the crew.

Peter  in front of the white  buffalo

The Gang of Five

We all (Paul joined our caravan) west on US 14 to New Ulm, which is also on the Missouri River. I  don't  know how the economy is doing  in New  Ulm these days, but at one time it must have  been a very prosperous river city - there are many old and stately brick mansions along the road by the river. We drove and rode up to Hermann Park, which overlooks the city and is the site of the Hermann Monument. There were many Germans  in New Ulm, and they decided to honor  their history by building a monument  to Hermann, a legendary soldier and leader who won a great victory over the Romans. The monument is almost a copy (though smaller) of  one in Germany.

The Hermann  Monument

Great view of New Ulm from the top of the monument

Paul left us in New Ulm to return to his home in St. Paul, and the rest of us continued west on US 14, which is also known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Highway. The author of the Little House on the Prairie books lived in several towns along what is now US 14, including Walnut Grove, where we stopped at a small museum. The museum was about to close, so we didn't go in, but we did spend a little time looking around in the bookstore and gift shop.

Back on the road we stayed on 14 to US 59 where we went south to the town of Slayton, where we are spending the night at a motel which, while  adequate, is considerably less grand than the accommodations of last night.

The weather today was pleasant and dry, the road went through rolling hills with a few gentle curves, there were groves of trees amid the endless fields of corn and soybeans, and the countryside and towns looked prosperous.